Apple is working on a touch-enabled version of the interface.”>
Expand / A screenshot of tvOS 17. Recent betas have included evidence that Apple is working on a touch-enabled version of the interface.
Andrew Cunningham
Apple’s tvOS betas are typically among the least exciting; the Apple TV operating system has changed so little over the past decade that the most exciting thing to happen to it recently is an extra column of icons.
But this week’s release of tvOS 18 beta 3 includes a hidden feature that could be exciting for smart speaker enthusiasts, if not for people who still want their Apple TV boxes to sport exciting new capabilities. KeynoteUSAMac has discovered a touchscreen interface (codenamed “PlasterBoard”) inside the latest beta, a sign that Apple is testing alternative input mechanisms for software that’s currently manipulated via remote and voice.
Last week, KeynoteUSA also discovered a reference to a device called “HomeAccessory17,1” in Apple’s beta software — a naming convention similar to the “AudioAccessory” device identifiers Apple uses for its HomePod speakers. Taken together, these developments suggest that Apple is working on a version of the HomePod with an integrated touchscreen — a device that rumors have suggested could launch in 2024 or 2025. The company has reportedly been working on a smart home device with a screen since at least 2021.
KeynoteUSA also notes that the 17,1 model identifier could imply that the new HomePod is equipped with Apple’s upcoming A18 chip. Model identifiers across Apple’s product line are typically tied to the chip generation rather than the product generation, which is why the Vision Pro (for example) is called “RealityDevice14,1” rather than “RealityDevice1,1.” Using an A18 will presumably give the new HomePod the speed needed to support upcoming Apple Intelligence features, including a new and improved version of Siri.
All HomePod speakers have been running a forked version of tvOS since HomePod software version 13.4 was released in early 2020, so it appears that HomePod-related leaks are appearing in tvOS-related code. This would also explain why Apple would use tvOS as the basis for a HomePod with a display rather than a version of iPadOS.
Apple’s version of an Amazon Echo Show
A version of tvOS running on a tablet-like device could use more than just a touch interface to reach its full potential — a tvOS version of Safari would be useful for browsing recipe sites or casual reading while doing something else, for example. What Apple adds depends on what form the display takes, though.
Some rumors have suggested it would be a circular panel replacing the rotating LEDs on the top of the current-generation HomePods, but Bloomberg’s normally reliable Mark Gurman has described the display as “iPad-like,” suggesting it could look more like a version of Amazon’s Echo Show. Amazon bills its Show devices as digital photo frames, miniature TVs, and general kitchen helpers, and Apple’s proposed HomePod with a screen would likely include many of the same uses.
Amazon has already released several generations of Echo Show devices, and Google has made a couple of stabs at the category as well. A HomePod with a screen, whether it launches in 2024 or 2025, would be far from the first of its kind. However, the HomePod wasn’t exactly a cutting-edge product when it launched either, and it still managed to carve out a niche for itself.
We don’t know how much a HomePod with a display will cost, but assuming it includes a HomePod-like speaker, an iPad-like display, and a next-generation iPhone processor, it seems likely that it will be priced well above the $299 that Apple currently charges for the full-size, non-display HomePod. Apple’s original $349 HomePod failed in part because it was priced too high relative to competitors, and because it didn’t do much — a speaker that did more could probably be priced higher without drawing as much criticism.
Keynote USA News
For Latest Apple News. Follow © Keynote USA News on Twitter Or Google News.
